Chapter 58: Country Bumpkin?

"Very good!" Jin Bulang laughed loudly.

The strength of a Grand Martial Master—if he works hard for a year, he can become a Martial Marquis. With a little more tempering, even if he can't break into the top ten at the Ten Kingdoms Grand Tournament, he can definitely make it into the top twenty. Such potential made Jin Bulang's heart stir.

He knew that the royal family had a special quota. With that quota, there was no need to compete; one could directly participate in the Ten Kingdoms Grand Tournament. Zhang Long’s qualifications fit perfectly. He was eligible for direct promotion.

"Since you call me uncle, I won’t hold back." Jin Bulang said, "Are you willing to take part in the Ten Kingdoms Grand Tournament?" His eyes stared intently at Zhang Long.

Zhang Long had already prepared his answer. Without hesitation, his eyes firm, he replied, "As sons of the kingdom, we should bring honor to our nation. Who wouldn’t want to take part in the Ten Kingdoms Grand Tournament?"

"Good, good!" Jin Bulang liked him more with every passing moment. "I’ll speak to the royal family and secure a direct quota for you. You just need to train diligently and participate in the tournament a year from now."

Zhang Long was stunned. He hadn’t thought the qualification would come so easily.

"Why aren’t you thanking Uncle Jin?" Gongsun Miao shook his head. Clearly, his apprentice still lacked composure—a result of youth and limited experience.

"Sister, how about your big brother takes you out for some fun?" At that moment, Xiao Yang was trying to cheer up the little girl. However, his efforts were clearly not working. Zhou Yan buried herself in her food, completely ignoring Xiao Yang’s presence. The entire meal passed without a single word from her. She suddenly became aloof.

"If you won't go, I'll go myself." Seeing the time was almost up and Zhou Yan still ignored him, Xiao Yang decided to head out alone, hoping she'd reflect on her attitude. "I'll go on my own then. I heard there are plenty of ladies there." He thought this would make her rush into his arms, but unexpectedly, Zhou Yan merely sipped her soup quietly.

"Damn!" Xiao Yang started to panic. Things were slipping out of control. This was his childhood betrothed!

"Sister, I was wrong. I promise to change next time!" Xiao Yang was ready to resort to tears and tantrums, even threaten to hang himself if necessary. He was determined to win over this little girl today.

"Enough. Today I’m going to play with my friends. I don’t have time to go with you." Zhou Yan, annoyed by his pestering, spoke angrily.

"Male or female?"

"Female!"

"Go ahead then!" At the same time, he took out a banknote for a hundred thousand taels and handed it to Zhou Yan. "Take this. If it’s not enough, tell me."

His generosity was unmistakable. As long as she wasn’t meeting a man, everything else was negotiable. A hundred thousand taels—barely pocket change for Xiao Yang now. He had made over a million in just one day in Northern Desert City. He was indeed getting carried away.

Zhou Yan blushed, but didn’t hesitate, grabbing the banknote and rushing out the door. After some time, Xiao Yang called Hao Huahu over.

"Huahu, follow Yan and protect her. If anyone causes trouble, just deal with them. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility!"

"Yes, young master!" Hao Huahu nodded and hurried after her.

"Treasure Hall." The goods inside should all be listed in the system. He was simply hoping to get lucky and find a hidden treasure—pure profit.

"Rooster Boss!" A certain rooster raced downstairs, followed by four fighting cocks. In just one night, Rooster Boss had assembled his team and regained his leader status.

"You’re in charge of guarding the house. Don’t let anyone take anything." Though the place was a bit shabby, there were still valuable items left—like vases worth a thousand apiece, at least seven or eight of them. All together, they were worth over ten thousand. If there were doors, it’d be better, but last night, someone removed the doors. Someone had to watch the place, or Xiao Yang wouldn’t be at ease.

"This is your reward." He took out the Void Gourd and poured out hundreds of centipedes. Instantly, Rooster Boss rushed over and feasted, even remembering to share with his four new underlings—each chicken got five centipedes.

"Damn, bribing your subordinates? Are you even a chicken anymore?" Xiao Yang was speechless. Rooster Boss’s intelligence was impressive—he actually knew how to win over his followers with treats.

"Guard the house! If even a single tile is missing, I’ll cook you!" After giving instructions, Xiao Yang prepared to set out.

He was heading to Treasure Hall purely to try his luck. With the system as his powerful assistant, who could challenge his expertise?

"Young master, shall I call for a carriage?" Hao Wenlong had fully become Xiao Yang’s bodyguard.

"No need! We’ll walk." Xiao Yang refused outright. He truly couldn’t stand carriages—slow and bumpy, making him nauseous. He’d rather walk than risk vomiting.

"Yes!" Hao Wenlong wanted to say more but ultimately held his tongue.

As Treasure Hall was located on the most luxurious avenue in Northern Desert City, the two didn’t have to walk far before spotting it ahead, bustling with activity. Many carriages were parked outside, all lavishly decorated, some even drawn by magical beasts—clearly the vehicles of nobility.

"Master Qian has arrived!" A carriage pulled by eight fine horses approached, and a servant shouted loudly. He hurried over, respectfully lifted the curtain, and an elder stepped down, followed by the servant bowing and scraping. As the old man entered Treasure Hall, he tossed a silver note.

Xiao Yang’s sharp eyes immediately saw it was a hundred-tael note.

"These local big shots sure are wealthy, tossing tips of a hundred taels without a second thought." Several more entered, each leaving behind notes ranging from a hundred to several hundred taels. In just a short while, the servants had earned nearly a thousand taels.

"A way to make money!" His eyes sparkled, but Xiao Yang quickly dismissed the idea. Making a few hundred at a time was still too little. If it were tens of thousands, maybe it’d be worth considering.

The two approached Treasure Hall. As expected, no one greeted them. The servants were busy entertaining the local powers arriving by carriage; who would bother with someone on foot?

"This place is nicely decorated," Xiao Yang commented with a smile, glancing casually at the signboard—it was worth seven thousand taels. He almost couldn’t resist stealing it on the spot.

"Of course, Treasure Hall is the largest auction house in Northern Desert City." At that moment, a young man in a white robe walked over, glanced at Xiao Yang with disdain, and said so.

A servant quickly recovered, trotted over, and greeted, "Young Master Bai, your private room is ready. Please come inside."

Bai Yunchen nodded and entered Treasure Hall, but as he passed Xiao Yang, he said disdainfully, "Treasure Hall really is letting anyone in these days—even bumpkins."

At those words, Hao Wenlong’s face darkened, ready to act, but Xiao Yang held him back.